Magnetic device



Dec. 2, 1958 E. A. HEPPNER 2,862,752

MAGNETIC DEVICE Filed April 13, 1955 V4.6 1E? JQ@ /l/l/l//l//l//I/l//l/l/ IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent O MAGNETIC DEVICE Elmore A. Heppner, Round Lake, Ill., assigner to Heppner Sales Co., a corporation of Iliinois Application April 13, 1955, Serial No. 501,037

Claims. (Cl. 292-251.5)

This application relates to a magnetic device and more particularly to such a device in the form of a catch.

It is the general object of the invention to produce a new and improved magnetic device.

It is a more specic object of the invention to produce a magnetic device in the form of a magnetic catch which may be utilized to hold closures such as cabinet doors in closed position.

One of the features of the present invention is the production of a magnetic catch which is provided with relatively long pole pieces which are independently pivotally mounted so that relative pivoting movement between the pole pieces may occur so that they may each adapt themselves to a position contacting along their entire length a striker plate even though the closure on which the striker plate is mounted may not retain the same in alignment with the pole pieces. By virtue of this construction even should the magnetic catch or the striker plate be mounted in other than perfect alignment, the pole pieces are in effect self aligning and thus exert a surprisingly powerful holding action on the closure.

While magnetic catches have been employed in the past, they generally comprise a permanent magnet in the form of Alnico which is relatively expensive and thus such catches were of necessity of small size in order to be marketable at a reasonable price. Another form of permanent magnet possessing a strength very near that of Alnico is the type known as ferrite. Ferrite magnets are made by pressing iron powder into a block of the desired finished size. Following the pressing operation the blocks are heated to a temperature of 2400 F. in order to sinter or bond the material into a solid mass. The blocks are subsequently magnetized. Because of the fabrication methods used in forming ferrite magnets, it has been diicult to produce a relatively thin rectangular block having a substantial length inasmuch as the heating tends to warp the block. Because of this fact, and the necessity of having the pole pieces in full contact with the upper and lower faces of the block, ferrite magnets have, in the past, also been restricted to relatively small size.

According to the present invention, however, there is produced a magnetic catch having pole pieces of any desired length and wherein the magnetic elements are ferrite blocks. This has been accomplished by using not a single ferrite block, but rather a number of blocks each small enough as to be manufactured without detrimental warping and spaced apart a slight distance to provide a magnetic element which may be made as long as desired.

In addition, the present invention so mounts the pole pieces as to permit not only pivoting movement thereof, 'but relative pivoting movement therebetween so that the pole pieces are self aligning and thus permit contact along the entire length of their edges with a striker plate or other ferrous metal object which is to be magnetically retained in position.

A further feature of the invention are the methods of retaining the magnetic device in assembled condition, such means being so designed as to be simple and econom- 2,862,752 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 ical to manufacture and easy to assemble so that there may be produced a device which can be marketed at a reasonable price.

Other, further advantages vand objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective elevational view showing the magnetic device of the present invention secured to a support and contacting a striker plate on a closure;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along line 2`2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an exploded View of the magnetic device `of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view along line 4-4 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view, partially broken away, showing a modified form of retainer for the ferrite blocks.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings Vand will herein be described in detail several embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplication of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a magnetic assembly 10 mounted on a support 11, such as a cabinet shelf. A closure in the form of a door 12 carries a striker plate 13 positioned to contact the magnetic device 10 when the door 12 is closed.

The magnetic assembly includes a pair of ferrous pole pieces 14 and 15 generally rectangular in shape and substantially elongated. Each of the pole pieces is provided with opposed flat surfaces, the pole piece 14 having upper and lower surfaces 14b and 14a and the pole piece 15 having similar surfaces 15b and 15a. Spacing apart the two pole pieces is a plurality of ferrite magnets in the form of rectangular blocks 16, 17 and 18 each having opposed substantially flat upper and lower surfaces indicated at 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b, 18a and 18b.

To retain the -assembly in assembled condition a pair of lugs 20 and 21 are outstruck from the Vpole piece 14 and extend out partly from surface 14a. A second pair of lugs 22 and 23 are similarly formed onV the pole piece 15. The lugs are proportioned to be received in openings 24 and 25 formed in the ferrite magnet blocks 16 and 18. The pole pieces 14 and 15 are each provided with openings 26 and 27 through which a rivet 28 may extend. The center ferrite block 17 is provided with a central opening 28a 'aligned With the openings 26 and 27 for this purpose.

When the magnetic device is assembled, the edges 29 and 30 of the pole pieces extend beyond the interposed ferrite blocks in position to contact the striker plate.

The pole pieces 14 and 15 may pivot about the rivet 28 and thus may pivot relative to each other so as to become aligned with the face of the striker plate. For this purpose the openings 24 and 25 are made somewhat larger than the lugs which t therein to give the desired (although not vital) freedom of movement of the pole pieces.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 (where parts similar to those described with reference to Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals with a single prime) the rivet 28 may Ibe longer than necessary to retain the device in assembled condition and thus may extend through the support 11' thereby serving as the mounting means for the magnetic catch. A washer 40 may be interposed between the outer face of the lower pole piece 15 to allow the entire assembly to pivot with the pole pieces remaining individually and relatively pivotable as before.

In Fig. 5, there is illustrated a magnetic catch in many respects similar to that of Fig. 1 and similar parts are having' a height less than the thickness ofthe ferrite blocks so as to permit full contact between the upper and lower faces of the blocksy with the adjacent faces of thel pole, pieces. Like in the previous embodiments, the pole pieces themselves may pivot about the rivet 28 so that the: pole pieces may move individually and as a unit to permit alignment witl'rthe striker plate.

In all cases the ferrite blocks are magnetized so as to have.. oneL pole at the, upper at surface contacting one of the pole pieces and the opposite pole on the opposite surface or face and contacting the other pole piece. If desired, the openings 26 and 27 through `which the rivet extends may be enlarged somewhat so as to have diameters greater than the diameter of the rivet thereby permitting not only pivotal movement of` the magnetic assembly, but also some movement toward or away from the striker plate so as to compensate for slight errors in mounting.

As will be obvious from the foregoing description, the assembly is simply constructed and may readily be assembled by hand. The ferrite magnets are initially formed with the openings extending therethrough and a simple punching operation can provide the openings and lugs on the pole pieces. Thus in assembling the device, the magnets are merely initially positioned on the lower pole piece, the upper pole piece placed thereover and then the assembly is secured to it by means of the rivet.

I claim:

l. A magnetic assembly comprising a pair of substantially rectangular elongated pole pieces having opposed flat surfaces, a plurality of substantially rectangular ferrite magnets between and spacing apart said pole pieces, each of said magnets having opposed extended surfaces in substantially complete contact with the adjacent surfaces of the pole pieces, a non-ferrous cage having a compartment for each magnet and having Walls to retain the magnets therein with the walls having a height not exceeding the thickness of the magnets.

2. A magnetic assembly comprising a pair of substantially rectangular elongated pole pieces having opposed at surfaces, a plurality of substantially rectangular ferrite magnets between and spacing apart said pole pieces, each of said magnets having opposed extended surfaces in substantially complete contactwith the adjacent surfaces of the pole pieces, each of said magnets having an opening extending therethrough normal to said surfaces thereof, and means for retaining the pole pieces and magnets in assembled condition including a plurality of lugs outstruck from said adjacent surfaces of the pole pieces and received in said openings in the magnets, each of said lugs being smaller than the opening in which it is received, and a member extending through aligned openings in the pole pieces and the opening in one of the magnets to permit relative pivotal movement of the pole pieces about said member.

3. The magnetic assembly of claim 2 in which said member has a length sufficient to extend beyond the assembly and be secured to a support to mount the assembly thereon. v

4. A magnetic assembly comprising a pair of substantially rectangular elongated pole pieces having opposed fiat surfaces, at least three substantially rectangular ferrite magnets between and spacing apart said pole pieces, each of said magnets having opposed extended surfaces in substantially complete contact with adjacent surfaces of the pole pieces, means on each of thel pole pieces for retaining the magnets in position between the pole pieces, and mounting means providing a'pivot for independently pivotally securing the pole pieces to a support.

5. A magnetic assembly comprising a pair of SlJbSlRf References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,565,624 Phelon Aug. 28, 1951 2,565,625 Phelon Aug. 28, 1951 2,609,221 Schultz Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 607,148 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1948 631,523 Great` Britain Nov. 4, 1,949 

